


skinny dipping

by tacosaretasty



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cheerleader Waverly, College AU, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Original Characters - Freeform, Slow Burn, Swimmer Nicole, Wynonna and Waverly’s best friend are in love, Wynonna is bi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:14:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tacosaretasty/pseuds/tacosaretasty
Summary: The one in which Waverly goes out for a read, but ends up seeing a tall redhead jump naked in a lake.Also, the one in which Wynonna falls in love with her little sister’s best friend.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp/Original Female Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 168





	skinny dipping

**Author's Note:**

> we’re baaaaack
> 
> so, if this is your first time coming across this story, hey! i hope you enjoy the read. this is actually a rewrite of an old story that i kind of left aside 3 years ago. it’s in my works, in case anyone wants to check it out.  
> i’ve decided that the story is going to be a little different, because there’s just aspects of it that really bothered me when i read it again, so don’t be surprised if some details aren’t the same.  
> i really really hope you enjoy this second first chapter. let me know what you think!

**_Skinny dipping_ **

****

That night, four blankets weren’t enough for Waverly Earp.

Usually, she would tuck herself into a pile of covers, and that sole act would be enough for sleepiness to hit her like a train. However, that particular Friday night was not the same: Waverly just couldn’t get herself to sleep.

It was a few minutes past midnight, and Waverly’s apartment located just outside of Purgatory University felt way too big without the presence of her roommate and best friend, Vicki Berry, in it. Vicki was out partying, probably in one of the sorority houses, and Earp got to a point where she felt so bored and gloomy she kind of wished she’d accepted Berry’s invitation to come along and get drunk.

And she’d tried everything in order to get to sleep: taking a long shower, drinking camomile tea, watching some tacky rom-com on Netflix… But the universe didn’t seem to be on her side about this.

So Waverly decided to get up, take off her donut-print pajama pants and put on a pair of blue mom jeans and one of the sweaters her messy roommate always left on the dining table. She also grabbed a book by her favorite author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her cellphone. The girl figured that, if she couldn’t sleep anyway, maybe going out on campus and doing some reading outside would make her relax.

But she wasn’t so sure of that. Yes, she loved reading while the cold breeze from the spring (it was always kind of freezing in Purgatory) gently caressed her face, but it had been a particularly hard week. Between what felt like a billion essays to hand in and her usual stress about global warming, Waverly also had to deal with a lousy breakup – with a boy she didn’t even like, when she stopped to think about it – because she caught him cheating and, even though she knew he wasn’t good for her whatsoever, it still stung to realize she wasn’t enough – even when it came to a scumbag like Champ Hardy. Therefore, if she happened to run into him, that would make her even more stressed.

But, trying to put that aside, Earp made her usual way to campus: a twenty-something-second elevator ride, a ten-second walk to her building’s entrance and the well known five-ish minute walk to PU.

She directed herself to her favorite reading spot: a bench that stood a few feet away from a small lake, where the Art students usually hung out. For Waverly’s pleasure, the place was completely empty, not a single soul wandering around. Also, luckily, there was a light pole right over the bench, which made it possible for Earp to read comfortably, without having to squint too much.

She settled down and read for a few minutes, and, just when the story started getting interesting, a loud sound interrupted her. Waverly looked up, noticing the presence of a woman – who seemed to think she was alone – right beside the small lake.

“Shit, now I dropped the fucking bag. This couldn’t get any worse.” The woman talked to herself. She carried something that sort of looked like a tripod, which was quickly placed about nine feet from the lake, and a camera, too.

Waverly had no idea what was going on, but she really hoped she hadn’t just stumbled upon a weirdo at that time of night. Too distracted by the woman – who happened to be a redhead – to resume reading, she simply closed the book and leaned back, watching discreetly as the other girl finished setting up her camera and trying to figure out what would happen next. Hey, don’t blame her. The Earps had a habit of being very curious people.

The woman started talking again, however, this time, not exactly to herself, but to the camera in front of her.

“Okay, here we go. What am I supposed to say, again? Oh yeah. My name’s Nicole and I’m a big, big loser. And Rosita Bustillos is the coolest, smartest and most attractive person in the world.” She stated, taking a loud, long sigh. “For the record, I really hate the fact that I even agreed to take this fucking bet. But this one’s for you, Rosi. God, I’m _so_ going to kill you when this is over.”

And, just like that, the redheaded woman took off her jacket in a swift move, tossing it on the floor abruptly, as if she just wanted to get over with whatever she was doing. Waverly found it quite odd, given the fact that it _was_ kind of a cold night, but the thing that happened next managed to be even weirder – which only made Earp wish she’d never even left the apartment, because now she couldn’t just get up and leave without turning the situation into a whole _thing_.

“So, as you wished I’d say, Rosi, we took a bet.” The girl started to remove the dark green flannel shirt she wore, undoing the buttons a little hurriedly. “And the Portland Thorns _did_ win the national championship, which means I’m a loser who lost the damn bet… Aaand now I’ve got to go skinny dipping in this fucking ice cold lake. Right in the middle of campus.” This time, it was the gray beanie that stood on the girl’s head that got thrown in the ground. “If anyone walks by, I swear to God, Rosita… Also, you make sure no one else has access to this video. _Ever_.”

A few moments passed, as Waverly stared at what was happening in front of her in pure shock and almost prayed that the woman – who, apparently, was named Nicole – wouldn’t notice she’d been there all that time. Finally, after taking off her pants and undershirt (Purgatory was a cold town), Nicole turned around, her back facing both the camera and Waverly, and undid the clasp of her bra. Earp nearly gasped as the piece of clothing slid through her back and onto the floor, realizing that, if the redhead happened to figure out she wasn’t alone, she’d probably think Waverly was a creepy pervert, standing there throughout the whole thing.

The half naked woman, who only wore a pair of white boxers, turned her head to look at the camera.

“As we agreed, I’m not taking off my underwear. It’s too humiliating.” She took a deep breath in and out, rubbing both her hands together in order to warm up. “There I go.”

And Waverly couldn’t believe it when she saw Nicole fully dive into the lake, head first. It might have been about 60°F outside, so she couldn’t even imagine the temperature of the water.

But the redhead gave her a clue: very, very cold.

“Fuck!” The woman exclaimed as soon as her head popped in the surface. “Screw that, Rosi, we didn’t set up a minimum amount of time, so I guess just one dive is enough before I die of hypothermia.”

Nicole started to swim hastily to the nearest edge she could find, which, by what could only be product of a very poor cosmic joke, happened to be right towards where Waverly was sitting. Earp started panicking, desperately trying to avoid an uncomfortable situation, so she opened her book and decided to pretend that, if Nicole noticed her, she’d been too focused on reading to even acknowledge the presence of the naked redhead near the lake.

But that didn’t work.

Through her peripheral vision, she could see the redhead get out of the lake in a hurry, getting up as soon as she reached the grassy land. “Just got to get that camera now and I’ll get the hell out of- Damn.”

Nicole stood literally in front of the bench Waverly sat on, perfectly still, eyes wider than ever. Her cheeks turned the same color as her hair: a vivid, hot red, which made her briefly forget about the cold weather that tormented her a few seconds before. She felt extremely embarrassed, to a point when she didn’t even know whether to ignore the other girl’s presence or just laugh it off. But Waverly knew she couldn’t just stand there staring at her book as if there wasn’t a 5’7” tall woman standing half naked in front of her.

“Uh…” Earp finally said, after a few really awkward seconds that felt more like a few really awkward hours, without taking her eyes off of the book in her hands. “Maybe you should get a towel.”

Nicole, at last, seemed to get out of the embarrassment trance she was into, crossing her arms over her chest so the other girl wouldn’t see her uncovered breasts. “Um, yeah, I… I’ve got one right there.”

Waverly replied with a simple “mm-hm”, waiting for her to walk over where her stuff were while politely covering her eyes so that the redhead could at least get dressed with a bit of privacy.

A few moments later, Waverly heard a low, subtle cough from Nicole.

“I’m, uh, all dressed now.”

She paused for a second, not really sure what to do.

“Okay.” Earp looked up, finally getting to actually see the other girl’s face clearly. She took a deep breath.“So, um, I’m sorry. I swear I wasn’t looking, I’m not some kind of weirdo or creep, I was just reading my book but then you popped up out of nowhere and started taking your clothes off and I-”

“Don’t worry.” Nicole interrupted her, feeling slightly more comfortable now that she had a shirt and pants on. “It’s on me for swimming naked in public, I _really_ should’ve been more careful checking if there was anyone around.” She chuckled softly, standing in front of Waverly with both her hands tucked in her sweatpants’ pockets. “And don’t think I’m a weirdo, either. It’s just… I lost a bet. You know how it goes. If anything, my _friend_ is the true weirdo for making me do this.”

Waverly gave Nicole a light grin, starting to feel the tension loosen up a bit.

“Your friend sounds wild.”

“She _is_ wild. She also loves embarrassing me, especially in front of cute girls.” The redhead smiled softly, pretending not to notice the crimson on the other girl’s cheeks. “I’m Nicole, by the way

 _I know, you just said it to the camera_ , Waverly thought, but figured she wouldn’t mention.

“I’m Waverly. It’s nice to meet you.” She noticed that the woman still stood up there, in front of her, both hands in her pockets. “Uh, would you like to sit?”

Nicole smiled once again. Looking up close, the brunette realized she was very beautiful, which made Earp a little nervous.

“Sure, yeah. Don’t feel like going back to my dorm now anyway.” That said, she took a step towards the bench, sitting on it in a considerably polite distance from the other girl. “So, what were you reading?”

Waverly squinted.

“Huh?” She questioned. Then, Nicole motioned to the book in her hands, making her laugh softly. “Oh, that. It’s _The Thing Around Your Neck_ , by Chimamanda. Ever read it?”

The redhead shrugged. “Not really.” She confessed. “But I’ve actually been meaning to… It’s the one with the, uhm… Pig and the spider… Right?”

Waverly laughed at the very inaccurate guess.

“That’s actually Charlotte’s Web... You don’t read a lot, do you?”

Nicole put her head down, two adorable dimples popping up on her face from the smile she let out. “Yeah, you got me... Don’t really have a lot of time to, most of my week is taken by class and swimming practice.” She clarified. “Guess I was just trying to impress you.”

Earp chewed softly on the inside of her cheek.

“Well, you did impress me, I love swimming.”

“That’s good to know, you could come watch me anytime. I mean, my meets.” Nicole replied, leaning her back against the bench while she watched the other woman nod slightly. “So, Waverly, what do you do here in PU?”

Waverly set her book aside, letting it rest next to her. “I’m halfway through History. And, um, I’m no swimmer, but my roommate often suggests that I try cheerleading… Been thinking about it, to be honest. How about you?”

The redhead, once again, grinned.

“Oh, that’s great! Do try out, I hear it’s pretty fun.” Nicole encouraged her. “And I’m in Law. I always figured I could be a judge, maybe, or even get in the academy to become a cop after I get my degree. Still deciding.”

Earp was about to tell the other woman that was nice, and that her sister was a police deputy, but she got interrupted by a loud buzz coming from her pocket. She normally wouldn’t check her phone while talking to someone else, but, since it was late, she figured it was best to see what the notification was about – maybe someone had been in an emergency.

“Sorry, I’ve got to check this.” She said, picking up her phone and unlocking it hastily.

It was her roommate.

**Vicki <3: ** _sup waveeees_

 **Vicki <3: ** _party’s great and i’m WASTED_

 **Vicki <3: ** _also guess who i just made out with_

 **Vicki <3: ** _that’s right fucking ROSITA BUSTILLOS from the swim team she HOT_

 **Vicki <3: ** _i miss u thooo :(_

 **Vicki <3: ** _and ur sister too lmao she hot tell her to hit me up_

Waverly chuckled softly, looking over at Nicole.

“You happen to know a Rosita Bustillos? My roommate says she’s in the swim team.”

“Yeah, she’s my friend. The one I lost the bet to. Why, is she okay?” The redhead tilted her head forward, seeming to be kind of worried.

The History student cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh, I guess she’s just fine.” She watched as Nicole frowned in confusion. “My roommate just said they made out at this party she’s at. In her own words, ‘she hot’. Drunk idiot.” Earp giggled lowly, gently shaking her head.

The taller girl laughed.

“She’s not wrong. I’ve got to admit, Rosi _is_ hot.”

Waverly smiled, taking a look at her phone again.

**Waverly:** _You’re a cute drunk._

 **Waverly:** _Glad to know you’re having fun!_

 **Waverly:** _Are you cool to walk home by yourself?_

 **Vicki <3: ** _don’t worry about me waves i think i’ll spend the night at rosita’s_

 **Vicki <3: ** _we rlly hit it off_

 **Vicki <3: ** _that thing i said about wynonna tho i’m still good for it_

 **Waverly:** _Alright, then…_

 **Waverly:** _Enjoy your party, drunk idiot. Don’t get into fights and no drugs._

 **Vicki <3: ** _okay but technically weed is not a drug DRUG right it’s a plant_

 **Waverly:** _You amaze me._

 **Waverly:** _Gotta go now. Ttyl babe._

 **Vicki <3: ** _k ilyyy bye_

 **Waverly:** _Love you too. XO_

Waverly locked her phone, putting it back in her pocket and looking up at Nicole.

“Sorry about that.”

“Oh, no need to apologize.” The swimmer smiled. “It’s good, actually, you and your roommate sound pretty close. I barely talk to mine, we just see each other around the dorm.”

“Oh, Vicki and I don’t live in campus. We rented an apartment just outside of it, like, five minutes away.”

“That must be amazing.” Nicole said. “I mean, the dorms are great and all, but sometimes all I want is a little privacy, you know?” Waverly nodded. “Though my roommate doesn’t seem to mind… I’ve actually been avoiding going back to my dorm tonight because, when I left, she had that scumbag Champ Hardy over. And he was shirtless.”

“ _Champ Hardy_ Champ Hardy?” Earp let out in a squeaky tone.

The swimmer shrugged.

“Only one I know. I swear I’ll never understand what girls see in him.”

Waverly pouted, trying to hold back an eye roll just from remembering the time with her ex-boyfriend. “Can’t really judge… Been there, done that. He’s my ex.”

Nicole tried do hide the fact that her eyes suddenly widened, by taking her hand up to scratch one of them. “Oh, I- I didn’t know. Sorry, then, I shouldn’t have mentioned him.”

Earp chuckled. “Oh, mention away. I never _really_ liked him, to be honest, just felt like he was the right thing for me at the moment. That, of course, until he cheated.” She stopped herself from talking further about it, taking a look at Nicole. “And I don’t know why I’m sharing this with a stranger.”

The Law student started sympathetically at the other girl for a moment, subtly scooting closer.

“Hey, you’ve seen me naked, I guess we can get past that whole strangers thing.” She said, making Waverly let out a genuine laugh. “And I get it. I mean, dating an asshole. My ex dumped me through text because she wanted to make out with this girl from her admin class at a party… We’re all bad pickers sometimes.”

“Sorry to hear that.” The brunette fixed a dangling lock of hair that had been bothering her. “And I’m _way_ too good at picking shitheads to date… Guess I’m not a very good judge of character.” She admitted. “Also, being bi, I tend to pick twice the amount of lousy people one normally would.”

Nicole suddenly fixed her posture, placing her chin on her hand.

“Well…” She said, somewhat lower than before. “How do you feel about me?”

“Sorry?” Waverly squinted lightly, slightly dazed at where she thought the conversation was headed. Was Nicole _flirting_ with her now that she knew she was bi?

She kind of hoped so.

“You said you’re a bad judge of character, well, let’s test it out.” Nicole raised an eyebrow. “What’s your first impression of me? Only good things, I hope.”

The History student was normally shy, however, at that moment, she simply felt like taking a chance. It was probably the time: at night, especially during the AM, Waverly tended to lose a few of her inhibitions. So she decided to flirt back.

“And what do I get if I make a right assumption?”

Nicole flashed her a side smile.

“My number.”

Earp pretended to think about it for a couple of seconds, gently caressing her chin while her eyes faced the light pole above them.

“Deal.” She finally said, moving a few very discreet inches closer to the other woman. “Nicole, based on our first interaction, I believe you are… Down to earth, smart, quite loyal to your friends and very, very flirty.”

The redhead grinned.

“Right on point.”

“Then it’s time for my prize, I think.” Waverly wasn’t exactly sure as to why she’d started bantering so much, which was usually way out of her comfort zone, but, somehow, she felt absolutely fine doing it right then.

“I mean, we _did_ make a deal.” Nicole shrugged playfully, putting a hand out towards the girl. “Here, let me save it for you.”

Waverly handed the swimmer her cellphone, waiting as she quickly added her number on contacts.

“So, um, I guess it’s pretty late.” Nicole said as soon as she gave the other woman back her phone. “I should probably get going, this lake water dripping down my hair is starting to make me real uncomfortable.”

The brunette stood up, picking up her book from the bench.

“Yeah, it’s late. We’ve been here longer than I thought.”

“Time flies when you see a stranger jump naked in a lake.” They both laughed at the redhead’s comment. “Anyways, this was fun. Way better than spending the night trying to ignore my roommate making out with Champ Hardy in the bed next to me. Don’t forget to text me so I can, like, save your number.”

Waverly smiled.

“It _has_ been quite a fun night. And I’ll text you.”

“So… See you around, maybe?” Nicole asked, picking up her bag and letting the strap rest on her shoulder.

“Yeah… I mean, maybe.” Both women smiled at each other yet once again, much like they’d been doing since the moment they met.

[…]

As Waverly left the elevator, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, searching in contacts for the girl she’d just met. She took a look at the name Nicole saved her own number under.

Nicole _Haught._

The girl chuckled to herself, gently shaking her head as she unlocked the front door to her apartment.

_Haught._ Of course.


End file.
